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You Can't Binge on This Anymore

Food makers shrink packages instead of hiking prices

By Jess Kilby, Newser User

Posted Sep 14, 2008 8:54 AM CDT

(Newser) – The half-gallon of ice cream is going the way of the soda fountain, as many manufacturers shave ounces off the size of prepackaged foods—without reducing prices, reports the New York Times. The practice, a response to the bump in transportation and ingredient costs, isn't novel, but the reaction is, with consumers going online to criticize the trend. Still, sales have only dipped slightly.

One ice cream maker says his company’s decided to “short-size” after a focus group selected it as the best of several bad options, including using cheaper ingredients or increasing prices. “No one was really happy about it (including myself),” he says. Budget-conscious shoppers should check the unit prices on shelf tags to get a true sense of cost, says one consumer advocate.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

Tropicana orange juice is one of many products that has recently shrunk in size but not price, including Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bar, Iams cat food, and Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookies. (Getty Images)

The days of half-gallon ice cream tubs are mostly long gone, but manufactures have begun ditching the now-standard 1.75-quart container for even smaller 1.5-quart tubs. (Index Open)

Ice cream used to come in half-gallon tubs; a few years ago many companies downgraded to 1.75 quarts; now, in many cases, it's at 1.5. (Shutter Stock)

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A consumer complains about the downsizing of Jimmy Dean sausages. (bamadubois)

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You Can't Binge on This Anymore